Many employees leave work due to illness or disability. Current Government policy emphasises moving people from claiming benefits into work. The intention of the Bill is to retain people in work and thereby to reduce the numbers who have to claim benefits in the first place. The Bill would amend the Employment Rights Act 1996 to ensure that:employment retention assessments will be provided for newly disabled people and people whose existing impairments changeentitlement to rehabilitation leave will be established on the basis of these assessments in the hope that this will avoid loss of employment.
House of Commons
30 October 2008
May contain errors — check source documents for definitive information.
This bill would change the Employment Rights Act 1996 to help keep people in work if they become ill or disabled. It would require employment retention assessments for people who are newly disabled or whose impairments change, and base eligibility for rehabilitation leave on the results of those assessments. The aim is to reduce job losses and welfare dependency by planning for rehabilitation at work.
The bill is at the 2nd Reading stage in the House of Commons, an early part of the legislative process with no final approval yet.
Generated 21 February 2026
29 Jan 2008
No recorded votes for this bill yet.
